Corn-husker



(No Model.) 4 Sheet-s-Sheet 1.

A. STEIIUZR.v 001m HUSKBR.

N0. 436,386. PatentedSept. 16, 1890.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets sheet 2.

A. STEINBR.

- CORN HUSKER.

-No. 436,886. Patented Sept. 16, 1890. V

A. STEINER.

No. 436,886. Patented Sept. 16, 1890.

. 1 4 SheetsSheet 4.

A. STEINER. CORN HUSKER.

No. 436,386. Patented Se t-16,1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

AUGUST STEINER, OF HOMEWOOD, ILLINOIS.

CORN-H'USKER.

'SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 436,386, dated September 16, 1890.

Apnlication filed March 10, 1890- Serial No. 343,244. (No model.)

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that'l, Aueusr STEINER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Homewood,in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Corn-Huskers, of which the following is a specification.

The main object of this invention is to provide a machine which is capable of traversing the fields of corn and stripping the cars from the stalks, and then husking or shucking the same in a thorough manner; but, if desired,

. the machine may be used as a stationary one and the husking elfectively produced.

The invention consists in the construction and combinations hereinafter described, and then. more particularly pointedout in the claims.

Like letters refer to the same parts in the several figures of the drawings, in which-'- Figure 1 is a plan View of my machine, ar-

ranged with two pairs of husking-rolls at right angles to each other. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig; 3 1s a vertical cross-section of my mach-me with the conveyor arranged so as to be immediately over the line between the pairs of rolls and showing the ears of corn. immediately under Such conveyer. Fig. 4 is a View in detail of two pairs of husking-rolls arrangedin operative relation. Fig. 5 is a detailview showing the relation of the conveyor and divider to the rolls. Fig. 6 is a front end view of .the

conical guiders in position for operation, and

of a portion of the driving mechanism. Figs. 7- and 8 are detail views showing the manner of hing-ing the front portions of the conical guiders, and Fig. 9 is a detail perspective of the'bow-spring and its connection tothe two frames.

A is the main frame of the machine, and it is of such suitable material and construction as to best adapt it for thepurpose intended.

Suitably journaled in the mainframe is themain or power shaft B. This power-shaft derives its motion from a pair of traction-wheels,

as shown in the drawings, or. in case the machine is stationary, from any suitable motorhand, steam, electric, &c.

:while upon the'stalk, and one officc of the Ordinarily'the ears'of corn are shucked ping-rolls, are mounted in the frame, as will, hereinafter be described, and serve to detach or sever the car from such stalk. In. advance of the snapping-rolls are arranged suitable devices for feeding and guiding the stalks and the ears to the snapping-rolls. These de-' vices, which I term guiders, may be of various constructions; but I prefer to employ two conical and hollow pieces I) D, which inclose chains or belts provided with spikes, which latter move along and extend through longitudinal slots cut in the inner sides of the conical guiders. The spiked belts are lettered E.E',..and are mounted upon sprockets suitably geared to and driven froin the main or power shaft. ers and between the spiked belt-s gradually I narrows as the snapping-rolls are approached,

may be strongly'held and adso that the corn vanced as it is being delivered to such rolls. Just at this point of delivery it is well to place curved guards or shields a a, behind which the spikes may turn, and thus prevent The space between the guid-,

the corn from following the spikes on the 1 belts. The forward portions of the conical guiders may be hinged to the rear portions,"

as clearly shown in Figs. 7 and8of the draw- 1 ings, so that such forward portions may be depressed to catch such stalks of corn as may not be standing upright. If the guiders were angular in cross-section there would be danger of the stalks breaking while being drawn over such angles, and of the ears of corn falling upon the groundloefore being caught by the snapping and husking mechanism, and to avoid this danger I prefer to curve the ex posed portion of such guiders.

The snapping-rolls O O are set a slightdistauce apart, with their rear ends journaled in a cross-bar of the main frame,but with their front ends 3' ournaled, respectively, in the main frame, and in asupplemental frame F, which latter will hereinafter be more particularly described. These rollsare formed withlongspiral corrugations, so made that the corrugations of one roll mesh with those of the companion too roll, and that the rolls have, respectively, right and left corrugations.- -;Su ch rolls are also they will not cut the stalks,

' yet the fact supported bythe sprin'gwillenablesuch ends action,

provided with. spiral ribs 0 C, also arranged, respectively, to wind in a right and left diree tion, and of a 'dilferent pitch from and longer The meshing pitch than the corrugations. of the long right and left corrugations causes the rolls to grip or bite the stalks more firmly and thus force them along and through the rolls and snap oil the ears, and at the same time rapidly convey the latter along without assistance from the conveying devices. The corrugations ot the rolls are rounded, so that the operation of the machine would be impededby pieces of stalk, 850., but my round corrugations merely forcibly snap the cars from the stems, allowing the' stalks to pass through without breaking. It the corrugations fail to snap the cars from the stems of the stalk they will at least feed them forward rapidly, and the spiral'ribs will bya shearing action certainly etfect I long spiralof the ribs will cause asuccessive so commonly resulting from the action of straight ribs. H

A bow-spring G,Ipreferably made of steel,

is fastened at oneend to the-front cross-bar" of the mainframe, and at its other endis detachably-secured to and supports-the supplemental frame F, .andto the latter is attached the conicalguider -D' and its spike-belt E, the bearings of the frontjournal of theroll C, and for the similar ends of the pair of bushing-rolls H H Even if therear journal is rigidly supported and the rear end of the supplemental frame. is similarly supported, that the front ends of both are to have a certain lateral play because of the elastici y inherent in such parts and the leor other obstruction isdrawn between such rolls. The spring likewise-permits the supplemental'frame and the other parts mounted therein to give or placed under an uncommonstrain, and'at the same time the spring affords a convenient detachable support, whereby any ofif the parts secured to or mounted in the mental frame may be detached, and replaced. After the ear has been severed from the stalk it 1flalls upon or is conveyed tothe husfkingre s.

for if they did.

drawings.

the snapping. The.

and will thereby preventthe choking of pins *ing-rolls arecau'sed to revolve other and the ear is helddown upon them, and thus the pins-and serrations will be conv of the chain belt.

butts of stalks which.

'ing loosely theymay separate forextraordinary: sized corn' or to prevent a breakage of the parts when a stick, stone,

.chain belt.

yield should .such frame or parts meet with an obstruction or be supple- In Fig. 1 of the drawings, 1 have shown a pair of hashing-rolls H H, immediately ad: jacent and parallel to the snapping-rolls, and another pair of'similar rolls located at the rear of the machine'and' atright angles to said snapping-rolls. Such an arrangement is preferable when the shucks are unusually hard to remove from the corn, and in locations where the crop of corn is very heavy it has been found advantageous to duplicate the pairs of rolls in lateral arrangement, as is shown most clearly in Figs. 4 and 5 of the It has been found, however, that generally but one pair of husk ing-rolls need be employed, and in such event I prefer to arrange them at the rear of the machine and to have the-ears of corn which fall from the snapping-rolls; drop upon a platform and be fed by a suit-able conveyor to the husk 'ingrolls. One huskingrollof each pair should havea raised ribwith a serratedinuer edge wound spirally around it, while the other roll 0t the pair may have spirally-arranged rows project from its surface. A chain belt I, provided with dles, is arranged 1 serves toconveythe corn along and at the same time hold the ears down to the gripping The husk towardeach andhusking action of such rolls.

stantlyfastening themselves into the shuck and tending tocarry such shuck with them in their rotation; but as the ear cannot i 1 low the shuck because the space between the husking -rolls is too small, it results-that the shuck is stripped from the ear. Sometimes'when the ear is delivered to the-husk: lug-rolls it falls upon its end and rests in an inclined position against one of the paddles suit in shelling the end of the ear without stripping the shu'ck frorn' the same. To .pre-

Such a position would re-- vertical padover the husking rol-ls and vent this result I employon inclined board hal'ing P1 pon its under side and'pivoted in the'fram'e above the front ends of apair of husking-rolls,

with its lower end restthereon.

The pins of this board catchany ear of corn resting upon; its end and hold it until the chain belt hasgcarried the supporting-paddle from under the ear,

andthe latter is thus caused to be deposited properly in the-next compartmentof-such.

In the event of two parallel pairs of husk? lug-rolls being employed it frequently occurs that an ear of corn will drop between such pairs instead of between the'rolls of one-pair;

and to remedy any evil which might' result from suchposition a divider; M isplaced advance of the I tween the pairs, sethat the car must partially rest upon such by the paddles of the chaiti'belia' m huskin'g-rolls on the line 'be-jdivider and will be swepttherefrom and onto one or, other of the pairs A convenient form and arrangement of di- M an arrangement of gearing likethat shown;-

videris shown in Figs, 3 and not the drawings,in which it is illustrated as eonsisting of a metalbar with a wedge-shapedface. t The. snapping-rollg the huskin -frolls, the eonveyer, and other revolving ortiaveling part-s all derivetheir r'notionjfrom the main or power shaft, being connected therewith by or by any. other convenient arrangement.

I the one adapted to mesh with the other, and I ra'l rows" Various modifications of' the several'fea' t-u'res of my invention will readily suggest themselves'to'those skilled in the art, and I. therefore do not desireto be confined to the I precise construction 1 5 s'hownand described.- What I claim; and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a cornhu*sker,a pair of rolls havinglong'ronnded'spirally-corrugated surfaces, re

fspectively, right and left in the different rolls and adapted stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

,2. In acorh husker; a pair of rolls having long right and leftcorrugations, respectively,

long spiral ribs projecting therefrom which are of dilferent' pitc'h from, the spiraljcorrngations, substantially as and for the purpose .6!; forth.

3. In a corn-husker, one or' more pairs of husking-rolls, each pair'comprising a roll pro- Lvided with long spiral metalgribswith serrated ,inner edges,land a roll having 1ongvspiof pins which project withinthei plane .of the outer surface of the spiral ribs,

substantially as and for the pnrpose set forth,

; L-In a corn -hu'sker, the combination of a pair of hnsking-rollsaphain' conveyer pro-* vided atsuitable intervals of space with trans- Verse paddles andarranged over said rolls,

with a pivotal plate'or board having teethoi pinsupon its under surface and located near to mesh one with theother,-suband above the forward ends of said'rolls,

ends into theconveyer are forced into a horizontal position before they reach the bushing mechanism, substantially as shown and de scribed.

5. In a ctn-n-hnslrerthe combination oftwo or'more pairs of bushing-rolls and a chainconveyer provided with transverse paddles arranged th'ereover, with a longitudinal dividerbetween-the pairs of rolls and in advance of the same, whereby ears of corn falling over two rolls belonging to different pairs wiltbe swept by thepaddles from th'e transverse position to a proper position withrespect to one or other of the pairs,.substantially as shown main frame carrying oneof the snapping or severing rolls and one .of the projecting shoes or guiders and its spiked feeding-belt, witha supplemental frame carrying the outer end of p the other snapping-roll and the otherproject ingshoe orguider with its spiked feeding bow-spring having one of its arms secured to the main frameand serving to support thesnpplemental frame and attach ments by its other-arm, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

\ AUGUST STEINER". Witnesses; SIDNEY BRIGGS,

FREDERICK SEARLE.

whereby ears of corn which fall upon their 

